As described in my copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/495,982 referred to above now abandoned, it is known to apply elastic labels to containers in the form of sleeves which are stretched to fit over the container, e.g. over the cylindrical body of the container, and are then allowed to relax and provide a tight fit onto the cylindrical part of the container. If there are indented or what are commonly known as "contoured" parts of the container, such as the shoulder of a container above its cylindrical body, the label applied in this manner will shrink onto such indented or contoured portion or portions.
Herein below for convenience the term "label" or "labels" and the term "container" or "containers" will be used, but it is to be understood that other segments of sheet material may be applied for example for decorative purposes and that other articles than containers may have labels or other segments of sheet material applied to them.
Such sleeve application requires forming sleeves, then removing them from the sleeve forming mechanism and stretching them and applying them to the container. This is an expensive procedure.
Whether the label is applied only to the cylindrical body of a container or whether it is applied also to contoured portions of the container, elastic, stretched label material is advantageous, for example, in the case of containers filled with carbonated beverages. If a container contains a carbonated beverage and it is opened and part of the contents are consumed and then the container is stoppered for further use at a later time, the internal pressure of the carbonation is diminished or ceases altogether. If the label is, for example, a paper label or an unstretched non-elastic plastic label the diameter of the container will diminish and the label will be loose. It is therefore an advantage to have a label which is elastic and which as originally applied to the container forms a tight fit with the container but which when the container diminishes in diameter will nevertheless shrink so as to fit the container tightly. Even if the container is rigid and does not expand or contract due to changes in internal pressure it is advantageous to use an elastic label which is applied in stretched condition to accommodate irregularities on the surface of the container.